What are the British citizenship requirements? – (A complete guide)

The British citizenship requirements will vary depending on your individual circumstances. There are two processes you can go through to become a British citizen: registration and naturalisation. This information has been put together to help guide you through the process of becoming a British citizen.

To register as a British citizen

To register as a British citizen, you usually need to have been born to a mother or father with British citizenship or settled status. To meet the full British citizenship requirements for this route, you must have either:

been born to a British mother, before January 1st, 1983

have been born to a British father

a connection with Gibralter (e.g if you are a British overseas territories citizen)

a connection with Hong Kong (you have been ordinarily resident since February 3rd, 1997)

not committed any crimes or broken any immigration laws during your time in UK

Naturalisation cost:

Per adult: £1330

Per child: £1012

What documents do you need to apply for British citizenship?

If you are applying for British citizenship as a spouse, you will need the following documents:

A passed Life in the UK test

Evidence of competence in English (qualification or British degree certificate)

Passport or travel documents which cover the last three years

(If your passport does not cover the past three years) you need to show sufficient evidence of living in the UK, such as study records, P60’s, wage slips, benefit letters

Marriage or civil partnership certificate

Completed application form (AN)

If you are applying to become a British citizen through a different route, you will need the same documents. However, you will need to prove you have spent the last five years as a resident in the UK rather than three.

What are the English language requirements for citizenship?

To meet the British citizenship requirements, you need to show you are competitive in English. You can do this with either:

a degree qualification which was taught or research in English

an English test qualification of a minimum of ‘C2’

Not every nationality of person needs to demonstrate that they meet English language requirements to become a citizen. For example, if your first language is English, you do not need to pass a test. The countries who are exempt from the tests are as followings:

Antigua and Barbuda

Australia

the Bahamas

Barbados

Belize

Canada

Dominica

Grenada

Guyana

Jamaica

New Zealand

St Kitts and Nevis

St Lucia

St Vincent and the Grenadines

Trinidad and Tobago

The USA

There are other circumstances in which you will not need to pass the English test. These are:

If you are aged 65 or older when you submit your application

If you are not in the right physical or mental condition to sit the test

Exceptional compassionate circumstances

What is the Life in the UK test?

Passing the Life in the UK test is a necessity for anyone who wants to meet the British citizenship requirements.

during the test, you are asked 24 multiple-choice questions. These questions are about a range of topics: including British history, custom, tradition, geography, and culture.

You are given 45 minutes to answer these and you need a 75% pass-rate to succeed.

How long does it take to get a British citizenship?

The British citizenship application process usually takes around three months. However, this is the top estimate. Citizenship applications take significantly longer than many other visa applications because it is a far more complex procedure. When you become a British citizen, you are free from all immigration boundaries and gain full rights in the UK. As a result, UKVI are particularly cautious with which applications they choose to accept.

Do I qualify for a British passport?

Once you have received your Certificate of Naturalisation or registered citizenship status at you citizenship ceremony, you can apply for a passport.

This process should usually take a maximum of six weeks, and the UKVI may want to ask you to a separate interview for this.